2008 August « wendy gauntt’s tech zest

Archive for August, 2008

Virtual training, real results

Published August 25, 2008 Online Marketing , Productivity 1 Comment
Tags: e-learning, ibm, intel, learning management, moodle, ohio university, online campus, second life, simulations, sloodle, training

Second Life Virtual Lecture Ever heard of Second Life? It’s a virtual world filled with everything from ancient Rome to a waterslide park to an entire island devoted to Ben and Jerry’s. Did I mention you can fly in this world? Try parachuting off the Eiffel Tower for a spectacular view of Paris.

Businesses are still exploring corporate applications in this world, but one common theme seems to be training. Many universities and large corporations – especially tech companies like Intel and IBM – are experimenting with virtual lectures, trade shows, and training classes.

Ohio University has put together a great overview of their online campus to give you an idea what’s possible:

This next video demonstrates cutting edge simulations, where robotic avatars allow trainees to interact live (so to speak) and learn how to handle a variety of situations.

An open-source learning management system, Moodle, now has a Second Life counterpart, Sloodle, to help you set up virtual training quickly and easily.

Instant gratification with instant downloads

Published August 22, 2008 Personal , Productivity Leave a Comment
Tags: amazon, amazon prime, digital download, ebook, instant gratification, kindle, movies, mp3, netflix, unbox

Click now Patience may be a virtue, but it’s not one of mine. I have little free time and I want to make the most of it. That means I keep errands to a minimum and do a lot of online shopping. When Amazon offered Prime service – free two-day shipping or pay $4 for overnight – I signed up even though it costs me $80 a year. The convenience is worth it, and I pay that extra $4 surprisingly often. Compared to a 30 minute trip to the store, it’s a no-brainer.

Of course, instant downloads are even faster than overnight delivery. Music downloads are practically old hat these days, but did you know you can download books and movies too?

Amazon offers a cool gadget called Kindle, a portable reading device, but you don’t need this to download books. Look for Amazon Upgrade, a service offered on many of their books. With this, you can read, highlight, and make notes on your books as you read them on your computer.

As for movies…check out the iTunes store, Amazon Unbox, and even Netflix. All offer downloadable movies and TV shows. In fact, recent TV episodes are often available to watch online at TV network websites. Watch them on your computer, or run a few wires and play them on your TV with full stereo sound.

When good employees go bad: protective password policies

Published August 19, 2008 Basics , General , Servers Leave a Comment
Tags: ex-employee, fired, hack, password, termination

Bomb Something all business owners face from time to time is an employee who doesn’t work out. And every so often, one of these employees turns vindictive. As a tech consultant, I’ve heard stories that blow my mind, things I never thought someone would really do.

Possibly the worst - an ex-employee from an internet service provider wiped out all their email. When I say all their email, I mean ALL their email, including all their customers’ email! Not only did the company lose big in terms of recovery effort, they lost tons of business and had to work their tails off to make good with all the rest who stayed. No lawsuit makes up for that kind of damage.

In another case, a financial services company, a former employee guessed at an old server password and used a few tricks straight off Google to plant a very destructive virus bomb that took them down for over a week. Anyone care to calculate the cost of lost productivity?

Protect Yourself!

Simple precautions make all the difference in the world:

Keep network and server passwords in a safe place, so that only a few people have access to them
Change passwords regularly, across the company
Use passwords that are difficult to guess, with combinations of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters, and a minimum length requirement of at least 6-8 characters
Avoid “dictionary” words in any common language as these are easy to hack with the right software tools
De-activate accounts or change passwords immediately after an employee leaves or is terminated, including any web-based or other remote access

While we can always hope for a graceful parting of ways, these precautions will keep you safe either way. With such high stakes, why take the risk?

Give first, Web 2.0-style

Published August 16, 2008 General , Personal 1 Comment
Tags: crowd-sourcing, go-giver, kiva, microlending, microloans, oprah, third world entrepreneurs, web 2.0

Kiva.org Those of you who know me know I’m a big fan of a little book called “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg. It’s a simple concept, really - give first, without keeping score. People who give generously often end up all the richer for it; it simply requires a bit of faith (and sometimes a little patience).

I’ve found a great website, courtesy of Oprah, that takes this to a whole new level. Kiva is a website that crowd-sources loans to third-world entrepreneurs. Instead of looking for huge donations from a few wealthy individuals, small crowds loan small amounts, which are combined to make up microloans to business owners across the globe. Check out the women I’m helping in Senegal.

Incidently, it’s not a donation – it’s a loan, and it’s paid back over time. There’s no interest, so you won’t make money, but once a loan is paid back you can reclaim the funds or choose another small business owner to support.

What fascinates me, from a technology standpoint, is how it’s bringing people together. Those of us who are better off can each contribute a little bit here, a little bit there, and gradually these small insignificant sums start adding up to serious impact. At the same time, we get to connect to someone on the other side of the world, hear their stories, and see what it’s like. I suspect we can all learn a great deal from these determined entrepreneurs.

Business owners helping business owners, all around the world. I don’t know exactly what will come of it, but the one thing I’m sure of is that Kiva is making the world a better place. I’m excited to be a small part of it.

Texting for business

Published August 13, 2008 Productivity , Smart Phones Leave a Comment
Tags: smart phone, sms, text message, texting

Texting Teenagers text almost as much as they talk, sending weird abbreviations back and forth on cell phones and pagers. They’ve made texting wildly popular – is it possible they’re onto something useful?

Why Text?

A text message has many advantages: it is less intrusive than a phone call, but more immediate than an email. It is quiet and discreet, so you can receive and respond to messages in situations where you couldn’t take a call, like meetings and seminars.

How can you use it in business?

Stay in touch with coworkers in the office and on the road
Set it up for priority clients so they’ve got an easy way to reach you
Send special alerts to your cell phone, like notification of urgent messages
Get quick answers to questions with minimal interruptions
Communicate important information to someone in a meeting who can’t answer a phone call.

Once you start using it, you’ll find it’s surprisingly efficient. Despite the cramped keyboard, it’s faster than phone or email. With so few characters, there’s no need to waste time wordsmithing the perfect message – with texting it’s speed and function over form.

Getting Started

Cellular companies charge for each sent and received message, usually 10¢ each; you can also buy blocks of messages at a steep discount. Most new phones can text, but you may have to get texting turned on, or call the company to find out where it is.

Typing can be tricky if all you’ve got is a numeric keyboard; generally if you type “1” once, you get an “A”; type it twice, you get a “B”; type it three times, you get a “C”, etc. You’ll quickly understand why teens use so many abbreviations!

Be sure to find out your phone’s email address, so that friends can shoot quick text messages directly to your phone via email.

The new wave of GPS-enabled applications

Published August 10, 2008 Productivity , Smart Phones Leave a Comment
Tags: blackberry, geo-aware, geo-tagging, geocaching, GPS, iphone, smartphone, windows mobile

X Marks the Spot What can your smartphone do if it knows where you are? A new breed of geo-aware apps have set out to answer that question.

Most of you are familiar with GPS (global positioning system) basics: with a GPS unit or GPS-enabled smartphone, you can enter in a destination and get voice-guided prompts to lead the way. Very handy. You can even look up restaurants and local attractions. Also useful.

But this is the tip of the iceberg…check out the many new and creative uses now available:

If you are on social networking sites, many feature location-based services that will tell you if any of your friends are nearby. I’m not sure I want this much togetherness, but it seems to be a hit with the teen crowd.

A friend told me his BlackBerry GPS is so sensitive, he uses it to see how fast he’s running.

It’s a little Big-Brotherish, but many companies are using GPS to track where their drivers are, and also to ensure efficient routing. With gas prices on the rise, this can be a huge money-saver.

People are using GPS to play games, like Geocaching, a clever high-tech treasure hunt.

You can automatically tag your photos with your exact location when you upload them to Flickr, so you never forget where you got that great shot.

Saving the best for last, a colleague just shared an awesome new app: G-Park, available for the iPhone. When you park, hit the “Park Me!” button. When you come back, tap “Where Did I Park?” Such a simple solution to such a vexing problem. Gotta love it.